Audubon’s Rachel Carson Award is a national award which honors American women whose work has greatly advanced conservation locally and globally. The Award was established in honor of Rachel Carson- a monumental figure in the 20th century and founder of the modern environmental movement. Alerting the public to the life-destroying dangers of indiscriminate pesticide use and fallout from nuclear testing, Rachel Carson’s international best-selling book, Silent Spring, forever changed the world and behavior of the chemical, agribusiness, and nuclear industries. Ultimately, her work resulted in the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency and later the ban of DDT. Rachel Carson remains a symbol that American women bring strength, courage, and conviction to the protection and care of all forms of life on Earth.

Award Honorees receive the Rachel Carson Award Medal- an 18k gold pendant necklace with a cameo likeness of Rachel Carson designed and donated by Tiffany & Co.
 

Award Criteria

National Audubon and the Rachel Carson Awards Council seek each year to recognize a small group of women who have made outstanding contributions to the conservation and environmental movement. From local grassroots activists to heads of national organizations, we aim to identify and honor women who have shown extraordinary commitment, energy and passion in working to protect and improve our world. Awardees are drawn from diverse backgrounds, including the worlds of journalism, academics, education, science, entertainment, business, law and philanthropy.